Sr. Open Source Software Engineer (Apache Cassandra)

TL;DR

Sr. Open Source Software Engineer (Apache Cassandra): Leading upstream initiatives and contributing to the Apache Cassandra project to drive production-scale outcomes for enterprise managed services with an accent on storage/compaction, indexing (SAI/vector), and distributed repair. Focus on authoring CEPs, providing binding committer reviews, and shaping the community roadmap for Cassandra 6.0.

Location: Hybrid working environment in Schiphol-Rijk (Netherlands) or Cork (Ireland)

Company

hirify.global is a leader in intelligent data infrastructure, delivering unified storage and integrated data services to help organizations unlock the potential of their data from AI to multicloud.

What you will do

• Lead end-to-end upstream initiatives in Apache Cassandra, from CEP authoring and design consensus through implementation and release.
• Provide binding committer reviews on upstream patches and community contributions to ensure high-quality code.
• Co-own Apache Cassandra core release management and contribute to ecosystem projects like Cassandra Sidecar, Analytics, and GoCQL.
• Translate enterprise customer needs into credible upstream proposals and advise product teams on technical trade-offs.
• Shape the project's long-term roadmap and architecture through active participation in the dev@ mailing list, Jira, and GitHub.
• Mentor other engineers toward achieving committer status and improve upstream CI/CD infrastructure.

Requirements

• Minimum of 12 years of professional software engineering experience.
• Current Apache Cassandra committer status with a verifiable track record of upstream contributions.
• Expert-level Java proficiency in performance-sensitive, concurrent, and production-grade distributed systems.
• Deep mastery of Cassandra internals in domains such as storage engines, SAI/vector indexing, or distributed consensus (Accord).
• Proven ability to lead technical work through the Apache open source governance model (CEPs, mailing lists, Jira).
• Strong written communication skills for asynchronous, global technical collaboration.

Nice to have

• PMC membership in Apache Cassandra or related Apache subprojects.
• Specific experience with Cassandra 6.0 feature areas (Accord, CEP-37, CEP-38, ZSTD compression).
• Experience translating production pain points from enterprise operators into community improvements.
• Familiarity with GoCQL or Apache Cassandra drivers.

Culture & Benefits

• Hybrid work environment designed to balance connection, collaboration, and personal flexibility.
• Opportunity to operate at the highest level of technical influence within a major open-source community.
• Collaborative culture that rewards initiative, impact, and ownership.
• Exposure to one of the largest enterprise Cassandra deployments in the world.